Alexander hamar



-A.HMAR.'

Blast Furnace. No. 81,775. y Patented Sept. 1; 1868.

@Bia-itch tetra anni @frita Letters Patent No. 81,775, dated September 4I, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN. MAKING IRON.

@te Signale referrer it iu fijen Enters @anni mit mating ont nf `ttt same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER HAMAR, of the city, county, and State ofI New York, have invented a new and useful Process for Making Iron, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

It is the object of my invention to make iron suitable for conversion into steel by the'use of anthracite coal as fuel und hot aires blast.

This has been attempted before, but has, so far as I am advised, been unsuccessful, owing 'to the diiliculties of removing the impurities of the iron, which diilculty my process ohviates 'lhe improvements herein claimed consistl First, in a novel method of introducing jets of steam, supcrueated steam, or hydrogen into the boshes and stack of a blast-furnace, at different heights above the ordinary hla'sttuyores, whereby a continuous supply of fresh hydrogen is imparted to the charge in its descent. v

Second, in a novel mcthodof extending the pipes which supply the jets of hydrogen into the furnace beyond its lining.

In the accompanying drawing, whiehmakes part ot` this specification, I have shown a vertical central Section through a blast-furnace, to which my improvements are applied.

ThefurnacmA, may be of any well-known form and construction. The hot-air blast is introduced vinto the furnace through the blarst-pipes B and tuyeres a. Steam, superheated steam, or hydrogen may be introduced into the furnace with the blast, if desired, through pipes c', provided with suitable regulating-valves or Steam, supcrheated steam, or hydrogen is supplied from a suitable generator, and conducted around thc furnace by pipes C, from which it is lcd into the stack and bo'shes by branch-pipes e, provided with suitable regulating-valves, e, and with tuyeres C C", of Aapproved construction. The pipes e, by preference, are made to project into the furnace about eighteen inches beyond its inner wall, in order to inject the hydrogen more etfeetually into the charge. But the amount of projection may bc varied to suitl different constructions of furnace. These intruding pipes must of course be made of material refractory enough to resist the heat of the charge. o l

In the drawings,-I have shown three setsof pipes above theordinary blast-pipc,viz one in the bosrhes and two in the stack, but' a greater or less number may be used with goed effect, according to the quality of the 'ore and of the fuel being worked, the number being increased for impure ores, and vice versa. I prefer, however, to put in three or four sets of tuyeres, and to use as many oftbem as may be expedient. The jets of steam or hydrogen might be introduced direetlythrough apertures in the wall, without the use of tuyeres, with good eilcct, but I prefer to use tuyercs, as they protect the walls from injury.

The furnace is fed in the usual way, by adding successive charges of orc and fuel'at the top ofthe furnace, which gradually descends :is the portions below are melted. In ordinary furnaces all the blast enters below the boshes, consequently by the time it encounters the fresh charge near the top ofthe stack it has become so mingled with the products of combustion as to have little eifect upon the fresh charge, beyond heating it.

In my process, on thc contrary, when the charge descends to the upper set of tuyeres, fresh jets of steam, supcrheatcd steam, or hydrogen are thrown in through the pipes c, which partially desulphurize the orcs and fuel, which are partially reduced before encountering thc next jet, which removes still more of their impurities, and this process is repeated at cach set o'f tuyeres, until the iron is almost entirely purified. i

By preference, I employ nearly pure hydrogen, but, with some ore, steam or superhcated steam, when applied periodically, will produce beneficial results.

It is obvious that my furnace would work successfully with other kinds of coal than-anthracite.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method, herein described, of introducing steam, super-heated steam, or hydrogen into the boshes of a blast-furnace above the ordinary blast-tuycres, for the purpose set forth.

2. The method, herein described, of introducing steam, superheated steam, or hydrogen into the stack of a. Mast-furnace, for the purpose set forth.

3. The method, herein described, of producing iron, suitable for conversion into steel, by the use of anthracite and :L hot bias-t, in combination with the introduction of hydrogen or superheated steam into the furnace at different elevations.

4. The combination, substantially as set forth, with a. blast-furnace,of tuyeres, arranged at different levels in the bushes and stack, for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, substantially as set forth, with the furnace, of the jet-pipes intruding into the interior of the boshes and stack, als and for the'purpose sot forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

A. I-IAMAR.

Witnesses TH. PRATT Pojrrs, Jos. I. PEY'roN. 

